Hydrogen

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are testing technology which claims to increase the output of hydrogen fuel cells by as much as 60%, put forth by Australian transport technology company, Titan Hydrogen.

The federal government has announced it will extend its prospective national network of clean hydrogen hubs to each of Australia’s states. The move was welcomed by a number of industry bodies, though some say the program doesn’t go far enough with government spending still lagging our European counterparts.

As councils in suburban areas seek to maximise access to services and amenity by planning for higher-density living, outdoor spaces soaked in sunlight and rich with plant life are at risk. In two world firsts, Heliosystems has used concentrated solar power, a cousin of PV, to cast warming, mood-lifting light where the sun would otherwise not shine.

Queensland’s ambition to become a leading producer and exporter of green hydrogen has received a boost with state government-owned electricity generator Stanwell teaming with a consortium of Australian and Japanese energy companies to commence a feasibility study for a proposed large-scale production and export project in Gladstone.

Global hydrogen vehicle maker Hyzon Motors Inc. has confirmed five of its ultra-heavy-duty hydrogen trucks will be used by Korea Zinc’s subsidiary Ark Energy in its Queensland operations from as early as next year.

A couple of years ago Central Queensland, at the heart of coal country and the nexus of manufacturing opportunity, became a beacon to energy advisory firm Energy Estate and international renewables developer RES. Moah Creek Renewable Energy Project, the first stage of their gigawatt-scale firmed renewable energy project is about to be introduced to the community.

Australian startup H2X is banking on bringing automotive manufacturing back to Australia with hydrogen. After its Warrego ute was met with startling fanfare last week, pv magazine Australia caught up with the company’s corporate affairs specialist, Tony Blackie.

As part of the Western Australian government’s 2021-22 Budget, Premier Mark McGowan announced a new $50 million fund to stimulate the growth of the state’s green hydrogen industry for domestic use and exports. The fund comes on top of several ongoing initiatives and includes funding for private industry feasibility studies, including one which will see bp repurpose its Kwinana Oil Refinery into a green fuels hub.

Developed by Australian scientists, the demonstrated system is claimed to achieve a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency of 20% at a levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) of $4.10/kg. The direct solar hydrogen generation technology is powered by a tandem perovskite-silicon solar cell with an unprecedented high open-circuit voltage of 1.271 V, and a power conversion efficiency of 24.3%.

Plans to create hydrogen by burning wood have swollen in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, after sawmill offshoot, Sweetman Renewables, yesterday announced a $15 million deal with Singapore’s CAC-H₂ to construct the country’s largest wood-fed hydrogen production plant.